Thursday, October 29, 2015

Poetry in Arlington is quite literally on the move. The annual poetry contest Moving Wordsis now open for submissions. Deadline: January 11, 2016. The work
of six winning poets will be printed on colorful placards and displayed
prominently inside area buses, enlivening the ride for thousands of commuters. This year’s Moving
Words competition is juried by poet, editor and literary curator, Francisco Aragón.

Six winners will have their poem displayed inside Arlington Transit’s
(ART) Buses for three months between April and September 2016 where it will be
seen by thousands of riders. They will also each receive a $250 honorarium, and
will be invited to give a public reading of their work in April 2016 during
National Poetry Month. The Moving
Words Program was launched in 1999, conceived by award-winning poet and
literary historian Kim Roberts (co-editor of Beltway
Poetry Quarterly), who continues to consult with the program.

Poets who live in the D.C. Metro transit area and are over 18 years old
are eligible to enter. There is no fee
to enter.

So please come! Wander by in the afternoon. Stop by after
work. We’ll be there waiting for you. Bring girlfriends. Bring boyfriends.
Bring your holiday shopping list. (And on top of all this wonderfulness,
there’s lots of free parking plus a whole market full of vendors
downstairs–hear me, Salt & Sundry and Righteous Cheese?)

From Memory to Memoir: Writing Your Life's Stories(NOVA
Annandale). Explore the literary elements of plot, setting, character, and
theme, and use them to recreate some of the events and relationships that have
influenced your life. Instructor: Nina Sichel, Nov. 4-Dec. 16, 7-9
p.m. Call 703.323.3168 to register or register online at www.nvcc.edu/workforce.

The Smart and Savvy Writer (Fairfax County ACE). How do you know if
the "contract" you've been offered is a sweet deal or a scam? This
class will present lessons learned, from writers who've "been there,"
so you can learn from their experiences. Instructor: Joanne Glenn. Saturday,
Nov. 7, 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Call 703-658-1201 to register.

Monday, October 5, 2015

I have a piece up on Literary Hub today, pondering why
readers always want to know if the events in a novel or short story “really
happened”:

As a fiction writer, it’s my job to fool you, to trick you
into thinking that something happened, that the woman riding the Greyhound with
the ring of mosquito bites on her upper arm exists, that the just-baked pie
cooling on the cork trivet on the table is apple not pumpkin. We want to
believe. That’s why we pick up stories, because we want to be carried off into
this distant world; what happened next, we whine, did the boy get the girl? So
why can’t you relax into the story, why must you ask the question, oh readers,
or wonder in the secret places of your heart, or pretend you don’t care but
then do a little research into the author’s life: Did it really happen?

If writers were leading the complicated and conflicted lives
they write about, they wouldn’t have much (any?) time for writing. We love to
think writers are more interesting than the average person, but I’m not sure
that’s true. Some are, some aren’t—just like average people. No one is average
anyway.

Readers are nosy. People are nosy. Part of the question is
simple nosiness. But only part.

Also, you really should subscribe to Literary Hub. Their
daily email pulls together the most interesting essays/interviews/literature on
writing and writers from around the web. And there’s always something you must
read on the Literary Hub itself…in short, perfect for procrastination! Here’s
more info: http://lithub.com/